South Downs appeal launched to plant 100,000 new trees

The Trees for the Downs campaign, launched in November 2019, raised £175,000 in 18 months.

It has now increased the campaign target to £260,000 with the aim to plant some 100,000 trees – tens of thousands more than planned.

Julie Fawcett, chair of the trust, said: “The response to Trees for the Downs has been overwhelming and far exceeded our expectations.

“I think it shows how much we love our trees.

“I’d like to thank each and every person, community group and business that has donated to this inspiring campaign – every penny counts and every tree planted will make a difference.

“Trees are just incredible for the environment – they provide a home to so much wildlife, provide oxygen, improve the soil, help fight climate change and, last but not least, are really beautiful to look at.

“Unfortunately, many wonderful trees have been lost from the landscape due to pests and diseases and that’s why we want to restore them.

“This goes hand in hand with the national park’s nature recovery drive – helping wildlife to flourish once again in our countryside, villages, towns and cities.”

Applications are open for future rounds of planting - for more details, email [email protected]